Google has integrated its payment Wallet with Gmail, enabling PayPal-style transactions from within the Gmail interface, and to any over-18 American with an email address and a Google Wallet account.
Google Wallet has also spread to another couple of handsets, including the Samsung flagships (S4 & Note II) and the HTC One, all …

Paying Google from the UK

You can get Google Play giftcards from UK supermarkets. There's a number under a scratch-off strip which you use to make the transfer. I didn't know that the Google Play account was effectively part of the Wallet system, but watch out for GBP -> USD charges. We're charged in sterling on Google Play. Paying somebody else through Wallet could be expensive.

(I've been tracking another internet company's problems with payments from Europe: they're in California, and Paypal works, but there's something about them which rings loud alarm bells at my bank. And they have been doing awkward stuff for all their European customers, where there are a lot of payment paths which are used rather than cards and Paypal. It seems silly to make it hard for customers to pay you, but there are some changes in US regulations on payment handling.)

If you must use this...

...do as I did with Paypal; set up a dummy bank account with no overdraft, no extras and just a few quid in it and use that as your Paypal bank account. That way if somebody h4xx0rs your Paypal account they won't be able to clean out your main bank account.

Re: If your account is hacked...

"For example, sending the wrong amount of money or sending money to the wrong email address are not covered. Please contact the recipient to request a refund for user error related transactions."

This is exactly the same as it is for electronic transfers using online banking - if you type the wrong account number then the money goes to the wrong account and bank won't be able to help since they did exectly as you asked them to. All you can do is ask the person who received the money to hand it back ... but the bank won't tell you who they are due to Data Protection laws. Think if you can find out who got the money and can show that it was not reasonable for them to think the money was intended for them then if they don't hand it back then it can become theft and the Police might become interested.

Re: If your account is hacked...

Not strictly right AC - as you mention Data Protection laws, I'm gonna guess you're in the UK. If so, linking something like this or Paypal to your bank account in the UK is done via a direct debit. This means you're covered by the direct debit guarantee, so you are able to go to your bank and demand the direct debit is cancelled and the erroneous transaction reversed under that guarantee.

Also in this continent

There's a recent pay-by-text system in Mexico as well. Some banks are implementing it, though they don't directly link it to CCs or bank accounts, but creating a specific "mobile" account for funds transfer.

I've opted out from these things, as I would rather have my money safely resting in the bank, thank you very much.

Re: or more likely.

I'm not sure Paypal is as bad as you think. Last USD payment I made through Paypal was a better deal than my Card gave me for a USD purchase of similar value. Paypal tells you in advance. Card payments you don't know until afterwards, but with the various forms of internet banking you don't have to wait for the statement.

Not that competition in such things is a bad, and the Google system (giftcards available for Play) could be very useful.

(I signed up for Paypal a long time ago, and times have changed, but getting money to the USA can still be awkward.)

aaah so thats the real reason ebay won't let you

Interesting

If they can roll it out to other nations this really could scare PayPal... to get money to people overseas PP is often the easiest (and even cheapest) way, but in many countries PP isn't able to link to local bank accounts. If Google can overcome that issue, you could see freelancers switching to it in droves.

Re: No thanks

'the launch should have PayPal and its ilk very worried indeed'

But it won't.

If you're used to dealing with users, you'll know bloody well that they won't know this exists for another 5 years. Then, they still won't use it because it involves learning something new in their parrot-fashion repertoire and involves change / trying something different.

PayPal is incumbent now, in reality, as synonymous with online payments as Windows become with OEM boxes.

Re: 'the launch should have PayPal and its ilk very worried indeed'

Re: 'the launch should have PayPal and its ilk very worried indeed'

There are more than enough people who have had Paypal decide to debit their linked bank account and inform them afterwards who will no longer have anything to do with Paypal. You're not getting their business at the moment, if the only options you provide are Paypal and direct debit. They'll have a look at your payment terms and shop elsewhere.

Bet you the US gov. gets very interested in this

Deposits to poker (or any international gaming sites) by US citizens has been effectively barred by the US govt. strong-arming the credit card companies (VISA & Mastercard), will they do the same to Google?

Paypal and GWallet

Without Paypal's incestuous relationship with eBay, Paypal would have sunk under its own extremely poor customer relations long before they got "married".

After several years (yes, YEARS) effort, Paypal finally accepted my credit card (not that the CC is where they get the cash from, they withdraw direct from a balkanized bank account, but no CC, we-no-wanna-no-u. After that, the feeling was mutual). I'd treat GWallet the same way. Set up a "no over draft" checking account with no linkages to any other account, and connect that to GWallet. You bank usually will do this at no extra charge, but YMMV. Then just transfer to the account when funds are needed. If there is any hanky panky, the loss is at least limited to what is in the balkanized account.

I shudder to think of the number of people who just... give these people access to all their cash[1]. Babes in the woods, croquets for the bears, and all that.

[1] think about that. With overdraft, that could be not only a lot of money, but all those OD fees add up and interest, and of course while in dispute all the penalties, and then the bank just says, pay it anyway and off to collections you go. After years of fighting, the exhausted punter then agrees to pay "only" 1/3 of the total to cover the mess, and then the tax man show up demanding income tax on the "forgiven" 2/3! Could it be worse? YES! You can't borrow any money because your credit is ruined, and the local authorities are after you too for tax evasion.... and then your dog pees on your foot for not listening to the ElReg reader comments and doing it right the first time round.

Re: Paypal and GWallet

Re: Paypal and GWallet

Hm. Maybe I don't have much of these problems because there's no such thing as an overdraftable account in Mexico? Either your checks go through or bounce, no middle ground. Same thing with bankcard charges. CCs might get overdrafted, but that's usually by mistake, as payment processors and/or issuing banks sometimes lag in reflecting charges against your CC.

That said, I would never, ever link a savings account to PayPal. Or any other service.

No evil ? This is getting scary

Now only do they know everything about us but get banking or cc details ? Hell no . This is scarier than Microsoft by orders of magnitude. This is WAY too dangerous for civil liberties , protection of our private information ( Remember they are in the USA where they fork over all information requested at the drop of a hat even that of non Americans ) not to mention that concentrates WAY too much power in the hands of any one corporation . I'm scared of what Google is becoming. Really they are WAY past creepy . Not to mention what i call the WalMart effect . They kill the smaller businesses that we used to go to and make business with.

Browser : Chrome OS : Android Search : Google now in the money game ? No f****** way I'd really like to see a serious crackdown on them . They have gone way too far already , with this episode , they're totally scary.